Lydick settles in as new hospital CEO

Monday

Jul 15, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Bryan Lydick, New CEO of the Redwood Area Hospital, got into healthcare administration from an unusual perspective for a hospital CEO — from getting actual day-to-day experience working with patients....

By Joshua DixonStaff Writer

Bryan Lydick, New CEO of the Redwood Area Hospital, got into healthcare administration from an unusual perspective for a hospital CEO — from getting actual day-to-day experience working with patients.“I have a clinical background in cardiac rehab, as an exercise specialist,” Lydick said. “I was actually out working on the floor with patients — and I wanted to do more.”Lydick started at the Redwood Area Hospital on June 3, and has spent the last month settling in.Lydick said when he was being interviewed, he chose Redwood Falls because of “the wow factor. Redwood really stood out. This facility is phenomenal in the way it really focuses on the patient. My family toured the facility here, and said, ‘Wow!“We’ve been a Redwood Falls family for four days,” said Lydick on Wednesday, July 10. “We’ve been enjoying the community assets. My son has already signed up for football.”Lydick and his wife, Nicole, have three children: 13-year-old Samantha, 11-year-old Mackenzie, and six-year-old Brode. Lydick hails from a small town in north central Michigan, and graduated from a high school class of 80. He knows all about the challenges and opportunities of living in a rural community.“I have a passion for rural facilities, for rural healthcare,” said Lydick. “Small hospitals have an ability to have a larger impact on a community’s health. When a physician retires and leaves a large metro facility, it leaves no ripple effects. When a physician leaves a small hospital, the community feels it.”Before moving to Redwood, Lydick was Chief Business Development Officer at Mercy Hospital Cadillac and Mercy Hospital Grayling in northern Michigan. Lydick received his bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion and Rehabilitation from Central Michigan University and a Masters degree in Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota- School of Public Health.Lydick said one of the biggest immediate challenges the Redwood Area Hospital faces is an upcoming reduction in the way Blue Cross / Blue Shield makes payments.“It will be about $800,000 a year,” said Lydick, who added the hospital plans to reorganize as much as possible rather than cut services.Lydick spent his first month getting to know the staff and facility.“The learning curve comes down to getting to know a new culture, a new organization,” he said. “I’ve been spending a lot of time applauding and saying thank you to the staff — I can’t heal anyone in this (the CEO’s) office.”